OUR BELIEFS
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith."
Romans 1: 16-17
Church Covenant
The Spirit of God has led us, with assurance, to receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. We have professed our repentance toward God and our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have been baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the presence of God, solemnly and joyfully, we enter into a covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
Our walk with God
We engage, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to cultivate our devotional lives and to maintain family devotions. We will seek to rear our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and seek the salvation of our family and acquaintances. We also commit ourselves to seek to walk in personal obedience on every path upon which the Lord may set our feet and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.
Our walk with one another
We commit ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to remember each other in prayer, to walk together in Christian love and to watch over each other as brothers and sisters in order to help each other in times of sickness or distress. We will endeavor to cultivate Christian sympathy of feeling and courtesy in speech so as to avoid all backbiting, gossiping, and unrighteous anger. We will be slow to take offense and always ready for reconciliation as our Saviour commanded.
Our walk as the church
We also engage to strive for the advancement of the church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort. We will promote its prosperity by our giving and its spirituality by our living. We will sustain true Biblical worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines by our attendance and participation. We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of its ministries, its expenses and its mission. We also understand that if we are overtaken in any fault, we will be subject to biblical discipline, which seeks our restoration.
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We also agree that if we move away from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church of like faith and practice, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
Our walk in the world
We also commit ourselves to live as witnesses of Christ in the world. We understand this to mean that we walk circumspectly in the world, bringing relief to the poor, abstaining from all appearances of evil and being just in our dealings, faithful in our commitments and exemplary in our moral and ethical choices. We commit ourselves to a proper zeal in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Saviour, both individually and as a congregation. Even to the laying down of our lives for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and our brothers and sisters.
The Gospel
The word “gospel” means “good news.” It is God’s good news about salvation in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This good news is what the Bible is all about and what we preach and teach at Grace Baptist Church.
J.I. Packer summarizes the gospel message in the following four points.
The Gospel message is about God
The gospel tells us who God is, what His character is, what His standards are and what He requires of us.
The gospel starts by teaching us that we, as creatures, are absolutely dependent on God, and that He, as Creator, has an absolute claim on us. Only then can we understand sin and appreciate the good news of the Gospel about Christ.
The Gospel is a message about Sin
The Gospel tells us that we have fallen short of God’s standard and are consequently under the wrath of God. It teaches us to see ourselves as God sees us and to think of ourselves as God thinks about us.
Although we may think of sin as something that we do that hurts other people, the Bible depicts sin as an offense against God and His total demand on our lives.
The Gospel is a message about Christ
The person and work of Jesus Christ is the heart of the gospel message. In fact, it is the focal point of all Scripture. Christ is the culmination of all that the OT prophets predicted and the only hope for the sinners who recognize their guilt before God.
Christ’s perfect life, His death in the place of sinners and His resurrection and ascension to God’s right hand are the core of the gospel preaching of the apostles.
The Gospel is summons to Faith and Repentance
The gospel demands a response. New Testament gospel preaching commanded the hearer to respond with repentance and faith. Both repentance and faith are acts of the whole person:
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Repentance is not just feeling sorry – it is a complete change of mind and heart, a new life of denying self and serving Christ as Lord.
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Faith is more than mere belief – it is casting oneself completely on the promises of Christ and the forgiveness that comes only through Him.
